Command line

pisharp takes the same command line as Pi v1.2.0. Run pisharp --help for the exact list in your build. Pi’s Command Line reference applies; this page covers the common cases and what PiSharp adds.

pisharp [options] [--] [@files...] [messages...]
pisharp install <source> [-l]
pisharp remove <source> [-l]
pisharp update [source|self|pi] [--extensions|--models|--all]
pisharp list
pisharp config [-l]
pisharp auth <check|print-api-key|print-bearer-token>
pisharp mcp <add|remove|list|login|logout>
pisharp durable [--continue]   # experimental, PiSharp-only

Modes

Command	What it does
`pisharp`	Opens the terminal UI.
`pisharp "message"`	Opens the terminal UI with a first prompt.
`pisharp -p "message"`	Runs the prompt, prints the final answer and exits.
`pisharp --mode json "message"`	Runs the prompt and writes Pi’s JSONL events to stdout.
`pisharp --mode rpc`	Speaks Pi’s RPC protocol over stdin and stdout.
`pisharp --export <file> [output]`	Writes a session file as HTML and exits.

When stdin or stdout is redirected, PiSharp uses print mode, as Pi does. Automatic compaction runs in every mode; in print mode a “prompt is too long” error compacts the session and retries, as in Pi. @path arguments add a text file or image to the first prompt. Piped stdin is added in front of the first prompt.

Common options

Option	Meaning
`--model <pattern>`	Model by id, `provider/id` or fuzzy match, with an optional `:thinking` suffix.
`--models <patterns>`	Models for `Ctrl+P` cycling. Globs and fuzzy matches work.
`--thinking <level>`	`off`, `minimal`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh` or `max`.
`--list-models [search]`	Lists the models you can use, then exits.
`-c`, `--continue`	Continues the latest session for this folder.
`-r`, `--resume`	Opens the session picker.
`--session <path\|id>`	Opens a session file or id.
`--fork <path\|id>`	Forks a session into a new one.
`--no-session`	Keeps the session in memory only.
`-t`, `--tools <list>`	Tool allowlist. `+name` and `-name` change the defaults instead.
`-xt`, `--exclude-tools <list>`	Tools to turn off, MCP tools included.
`-e`, `--extension <path>`	Loads an extension or package for this run, with its skills, prompt templates and themes. `-e builtin:<name>` loads a built-in extension. Repeatable.
`-ne`, `--no-extensions`	Turns off discovered and built-in extensions. `-e` still works.
`--no-mcp`	No MCP servers and no MCP tools: the `mcp` built-in extension stays out.
`-a`, `--approve` / `-na`, `--no-approve`	Trusts, or ignores, project files for this run.
`--offline`	No startup network use. Same as `PI_OFFLINE=1`.
`-v`, `--version`	Prints the PiSharp version.

Skills, prompt templates, themes and context files have their own --skill, --prompt-template, --theme, --use-theme, --no-skills, --no-prompt-templates, --no-themes and --no-context-files options, as in Pi.

PiSharp additions

--tool-policy pi|explicit sets how far the built-in tools reach. See Tool policy.
pisharp session <verb> keeps PiSharp’s earlier explicit-path commands (create, prompt, resume, rpc, terminal, copy, migrate and more). They use the explicit tool policy and their --allow-* grants. New scripts should use the Pi options above.
pisharp durable [--continue] runs the experimental durable agent, whose sessions survive a crash. See Pi Durable.

pisharp --help lists these three additions with Pi’s commands and options; Pi’s help has none of them.

Packages

install, remove (or uninstall), list and config work as in Pi. See Packages.

pisharp update --extensions updates installed packages and pisharp update --models refreshes the model catalogs. pisharp update on its own would update Pi itself. PiSharp can’t update itself that way and says so. Update the tool with:

dotnet tool update -g PiSharp.Cli

Credentials and MCP

pisharp auth check, print-api-key and print-bearer-token resolve credentials as Pi does. pisharp mcp add|remove|list|login|logout change the same mcp.json and mcp-auth.json that Pi uses. See Providers and MCP.

Environment variables

PiSharp reads Pi’s variables: provider keys such as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and OPENAI_API_KEY, PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR, PI_CODING_AGENT_SESSION_DIR, PI_OFFLINE and the rest. pisharp --help lists them. PI_TELEMETRY is accepted and ignored: PiSharp sends no install telemetry.